He arrived just before two, and shared the small elevator with a handful of people who were well dressed and in high spirits. They reached the top regular floor of the hotel, and stepped out into a small lobby. The other visitors piled through the door to a metal spiral staircase that climbed up to the bar itself, perched like a crow’s nest on top of the building.
Two heavy-set guys, in suits but quite distinct from the small joyous crowd, were standing in the lobby as if waiting to take the elevator down, but as soon as they saw Finn they gestured for him to come to one side. He smiled, waited until the others had set off, clanging up the stairs to what sounded like a party above, and then held his hands out wide.
One stood a little way distant, vigilant, while the other patted him down, clearly looking for either a weapon or a wire. Like Alex had said, Karasek was a paranoid man, and perhaps with good reason—it seemed the world had moved on and left him behind, just as it had with Khodorkovsky and countless others, all in different ways and for different reasons, the one common factor being that they had once seemed to be rewriting history but were now mere footnotes.
Once the bodyguard was satisfied, he stood back and gestured toward the stairs up to the bar.
Finn smiled and said, “I won’t keep you long.”
The guy looked back noncommittally, giving Finn the impression that he didn’t speak English. They were smarter and sleeker than the guys who’d worked for Karasek back in Tallinn, and in better shape than the old crowd, too.
Finn took the stairs, the laughter and voices above him joyous enough that he doubted Karasek was part of it. And as he emerged into the small, crowded bar, he quickly realized it was a wedding party. They were filling the internal bar area and had spilled out onto the large viewing deck on the north side.
Finn turned to look the other way. The southern viewing deck was occupied by just two people, one guarding the door, the other sitting at one of the tables, with what looked like a gin and tonic in front of him—Karasek, looking oddly defiant.
As Finn approached the door, the bodyguard appeared disinclined to move, but Karasek looked over, said something, and the guy opened the door and allowed Finn to step out. Finn smiled at him, then looked at the view and felt the biting wind sting his face.
The bodyguard stepped through the door and closed it, staring out at them rather than at the party within. Finn could see every aspect of Karasek’s decision to meet here. It was a controlled environment: out of range of sniper fire or passers-by, plenty of witnesses should Finn want to try anything. The viewing platforms had once been protected only by handrails, but reinforced glass had been placed inside of them now, reaching up to chest height. Despite the appeal of being fourteen floors up, the opportunities for killing Karasek here would be slight.
Kill him he would, though—if not now, then certainly on this trip. Karasek ignored Finn, instead picking up his drink and sucking through the straws. Finn looked at him, smiling, because drinking his gin and tonic through straws was exactly the kind of decision that made Karasek look like a precocious schoolboy in his father’s suit.
Finn paid him no more attention, looking out at the view across the city to the blue of the sea and the small flat islands.
After a while, Finn said, “I bet you like it up here. On a good day you can probably see all the way across to Tallinn. I don’t think you’re really welcome in Tallinn, though, not anymore. I’m surprised they put up with you here. Give them time, I suppose.”
“What do you want?”
Finn sat down opposite him, then looked at the door. “I don’t like him looking at me.”
“What of it? He’s inside. He can’t hear.”
“Okay, sorry to have wasted your time.” Finn stood. “I told Naumenko it was better if he spoke to you himself.”
Finn walked toward the door, a couple of steps, and was reaching for the handle when Karasek said, “Relax, Mr. Harrington. You seem to have lost your cool since the last time we met.”
Finn looked back at him. Karasek gestured casually, and the bodyguard nodded and headed for the spiral staircase. Finn gave a look of being contrite, as if he realized he’d been petty. He came back and sat down.
“So, what is so important that Naumenko must discuss with me?”
“Actually, he couldn’t care less what you’re up to. He knows you’re working with BGS to try to bring him down, but he also knows you’ll fail to do that. I think he’s concerned that his name is mentioned in connection with some numbered bank accounts that you and BGS are trying to access.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He seemed genuinely mystified, so maybe Karasek wasn’t chasing the money after all, but had some other motive.
“Nor do we, if I’m honest, but we’ll find out. See, we intercepted the BGS network. We know you’re working with them, and we know that in some way you’re trying to use me to get to Naumenko. Once we’ve joined those dots, I think you’ll find Aleksandr Naumenko will be very interested.”